North Carolina driving laws

“It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a vehicle on a public street or highway or public vehicular area while using a mobile telephone to:”

“Manually enter multiple letters or text in the device as a means of communicating with another person; or”

“Any other violation of this section shall be an infraction and shall be punishable by a fine of one hundred dollars ($100.00) and the costs of court.”

“no person under the age of 18 years shall operate a motor vehicle on a public street or highway or public vehicular area while using a mobile telephone or any additional technology associated with a mobile telephone while the vehicle is in motion.”

“The motor vehicle operator's parent, legal guardian or spouse.”

“Any person violating this section shall have committed an infraction and shall pay a fine of twenty-five dollars ($25.00).”

“After having consumed sufficient alcohol that he has, at any relevant time after the driving, an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more.”

“After having consumed sufficient alcohol that he has, at any relevant time after the driving, an alcohol concentration of 0.04 or more.”

“It is unlawful for a person less than 21 years old to drive a motor vehicle on a highway or public vehicular area while consuming alcohol or at any time while he has remaining in his body any alcohol or controlled substance previously consumed”

“Your driving privilege will be revoked immediately for at least 30 days if you refuse any test or the test result is 0.08 or more, 0.04 or more if you were driving a commercial vehicle, or 0.01 or more if you are under the age of 21.”

“the Division shall expeditiously notify the person charged that the person's license to drive is revoked for 12 months”

“When a license is revoked under subdivision (2) of G.S. 20-17, and the period of revocation is not determined by subsection (d) or (e) of this section, the period of revocation is one year.”

“A defendant subject to Level Five punishment may be fined up to two hundred dollars ($200.00) and shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment that includes a minimum term of not less than 24 hours and a maximum term of not more than 60 days.”

“A defendant subject to Level One punishment may be fined up to four thousand dollars ($4,000) and shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment that includes a minimum term of not less than 30 days and a maximum term of not more than 24 months.”

“each occupant of a motor vehicle manufactured with seat belts shall have a seatbelt properly fastened about his or her body at all times when the vehicle is in forward motion on a street or highway in this State.”

“Failure of a rear seat occupant of a vehicle to wear a seat belt shall not be justification for the stop of a vehicle.”

“A child less than eight years of age and less than 80 pounds in weight shall be properly secured in a weight-appropriate child passenger restraint system.”

“a child less than five years of age and less than 40 pounds in weight shall be properly secured in a rear seat, unless the child restraint system is designed for use with air bags.”

“is parked or standing within 12 feet of a roadway and giving a warning signal by appropriate light, the driver of every other approaching vehicle shall, as soon as it is safe and when not otherwise directed by an individual lawfully directing traffic, do one of the following:”

“Slow the vehicle, maintaining a safe speed for traffic conditions, and operate the vehicle at a reduced speed and be prepared to stop until completely past the authorized emergency vehicle or public service vehicle.”

“being used to assist motorists or law enforcement officers with wrecked or disabled vehicles, (ii) being used to install, maintain, or restore utility service”

“violation of this section shall be an infraction punishable by a fine of two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00).”

“the driver of any other vehicle that approaches the school bus from any direction on the same street, highway, or public vehicular area shall bring that other vehicle to a full stop and shall remain stopped.”

“The driver of the other vehicle shall not proceed to move, pass, or attempt to pass the school bus until after the mechanical stop signal has been withdrawn, the flashing red stoplights have been turned off, and the bus has started to move.”

“so constructed as to separate vehicular traffic between the two roadways by an intervening space (including a center lane for left turns if the roadway consists of at least four more lanes) or by a physical barrier, need not stop”

“any person violating this section shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor and shall pay a minimum fine of five hundred dollars ($500.00).”

“Thirty-five miles per hour inside municipal corporate limits for all vehicles.”

“Fifty-five miles per hour outside municipal corporate limits for all vehicles except for school buses and school activity buses.”

“A speed limit set pursuant to this subsection may not exceed 70 miles per hour.”

“Limits set pursuant to this section may be enforced only on days when school is in session, and no speed limit below 20 miles per hour may be set under the authority of this section.”

“The driver of a vehicle involved in a reportable accident must immediately, by the quickest means of communication, notify the appropriate law enforcement agency of the accident.”

“If the accident occurred outside a city or town, the appropriate agency is the State Highway Patrol or the sheriff's office or other qualified rural police of the county where the accident occurred.”

“The report may be made orally or in writing, must be made within 48 hours of the accident”

“Total property damage of one thousand dollars ($1,000) or more, or property damage of any amount to a vehicle seized pursuant to G.S. 20-28.3.”

“fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) because of bodily injury to or death of one person in any one accident and, subject to said limit for one person, one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) because of bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in any one accident”

“and fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) because of injury to or destruction of property of others in any one accident”

“Minimum coverage amount for policies issued or renewed after July 1, 2025”

“The owner of each motor vehicle registered in this State shall maintain financial responsibility continuously throughout the period of registration.”

“Unless the operator and all passengers thereon wear on their heads, with a retention strap properly secured, safety helmets of a type that complies with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 218.”

“A person who is at least 16 years old but less than 18 years old and has a full provisional license issued by the Division.”

“An applicant who is less than 18 years old shall successfully complete the North Carolina Motorcycle Safety Education Program Basic Rider Course”

“A motorcycle learner's permit expires twelve months after it is issued and may be renewed for one additional six-month period. The holder of a motorcycle learner's permit may not drive a motorcycle with a passenger.”

“A person less than 18 years of age with a motorcycle endorsement may not drive a motorcycle with a passenger.”

“All motorcycles are entitled to full use of a lane and no motor vehicle shall be driven in such a manner as to deprive any motorcycle of the full use of a lane.”

“Motorcycles shall not be operated more than two abreast in a single lane.”

“A vehicle shall be driven as nearly as practicable entirely within a single lane and shall not be moved from such lane until the driver has first ascertained that such movement can be made with safety.”

“Cars and motorcycles need a full lane to operate safely. Lane sharing is usually prohibited.”